


You can hear it in the Silence (You're in Love)

by iknowpIaces



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: 4 + 1, Alternate Universe - High School, Dansen - Freeform, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Pining, idk how to tag, minor westallen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:48:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23515699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iknowpIaces/pseuds/iknowpIaces
Summary: You can hear it in the silenceYou can feel it on the way homeYou can see it with the lights outYou are in love~Or 4 times Alex kept her feelings for Kelly to herself and the 1 time she didn't.
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Kelly Olsen, Barry Allen/Iris West, Minor or Background Relationship(s) -
Comments: 9
Kudos: 50





	You can hear it in the Silence (You're in Love)

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when Supergirl is on hiatus and I've been in quarantine for 3 weeks... I created my own alt-universe with a bunch of arrowverse characters.

**_1._ **

The first time Alex meets Kelly, they’re on the playground, not long after lunch has ended.

Alex isn’t one to brag, but everyone always hypes her up for being the _best_ at the monkey bars in the second grade. _Heck_ , some might even say she was the best when it came to the monkey bars in all of Midvale Elementary school! Every day, she’s faced with a new scrawny kid challenging her to a race and every day, she beats them, flying through the metal bars without breaking a sweat. 

She’s unbeatable. 

At least, she was, until a girl with braided pigtails, denim overalls, who was probably a head shorter than Alex, transferred here. 

The crowd of kids had gone quiet when the girl challenged Alex to a race. Obviously the new girl had no idea what she was getting herself into.

“You sure you wanna do that?” Alex squints in attempts to block the beaming sunlight from blinding her. “Wouldn’t want to embarrass you on your first day here?”

The girl with two braided pigtails smiles at her. “Who says  _ I’m  _ the one who’s gonna be embarrassed?” 

Alex feels her brows rise. The new girl’s tone is practically  _ daring _ Alex to race her. Alex can’t deny that she’s intrigued-  _ no one is ever that confident upon challenging her. _

Iris, from Mrs. Rojas’ classroom, nudges Kelly. “Kelly, Alex is  _ really _ fast. Last time Barry tried to race her, he fell so hard he ended up with wood chips up his nose!”

_ Poor Barry. Had to keep a bandage around his nose for a whole week. _

“I’d listen to her, getting a mouthful of wood chips isn’t the best way to make a first impression,” Alex adds.

The girl, who Iris just referred to as  _ Kelly,  _ only shrugs. If she’s worried, she’s doing one heck of a job at hiding it. “Don’t tell me you're scared?” there’s a teasing glint in her eyes, one that’s  _ really  _ pushing Alex to accept her challenge, no matter how badly the redhead didn’t want to embarrass the new student on her first day. 

She scoffs, going to tighten her ponytail. “Me? Scared?  _ Please! _ ” Alex has to laugh.  _ She’s the best when it comes to monkey bars, she has no reason to be scared!  _

Kelly folds her arms, gesturing towards the yellow, monkey bars ahead. “There’s no reason for you to not accept, then?”

And  _ fine. Her goodwill be damned. If this new girl wants a challenge, then Alex is prepared to give her one heck of a challenge.  _ “Alright,” Alex says, puffing out her chest, slightly. “But to make things a bit more interesting, why don’t we start on the slides?” 

Kelly follows her gaze towards the blue slide that curved around the chips as Alex continues. “First one to make it up the slides, through the clubhouse, down the ladder, then across the monkey bars wins?” 

She usually never made the challenge this complicated. Usually, it was just a quick race across the monkey bars or sometimes around the swings set, but Alex couldn’t help herself. She really wants to show off and Kelly doesn’t seem to mind the longer route.

“Okay,” Kelly says as if it’s no big deal. “Loser has to bring the winner sandwiches cut into little shapes for lunch tomorrow, though,” she decides to add.

“I like mine cut into stars,” Alex says, knowing it’s the shape she always struggles to cut out when Kara begs for her to cut some out.

Again, Kelly only smiles before they make their way around the playground, towards the slides. It’s innocent. Unsuspecting. And it leaves Alex looking like a fool ten minutes later when  _ she  _ is the one whose fingers end up cramping up and slipping free from the metal bars. 

_ Thankfully,  _ Alex doesn’t fall face-first into the wood chips like Barry Allen had, instead she falls on her back, her eyes tight shut. She could hear the gasps coming from some of her classmates and honestly, she can’t blame them. Alex is shocked too. 

The slight back pain she feels is nothing compared to the giant punch her ego just took. It’s worse when she opens her eyes and it’s Kelly hovering over her, her face filled with concern. “You okay?”

Alex closes her eyes again and exhales.  _ Next time, she’ll just stick to racing people on the monkey bars only.  _ Her hands had gotten too sweaty from climbing up the slide and running through the clubhouse.  _ Maybe if she had stuck to her normal challenge, she could’ve actually won! _

“Alex,” she hears Kelly call out to her, again. Still, Alex refuses to open her eyes and look up at the girl that beat Alex at her own game. “Do you want us to get the nurse?”

The thought of Nurse Luthor calling her mom was suddenly much worse than the idea of having to face Kelly and the rest of their classmates. 

“No!” Alex goes to sit up immediately. “I’m fine,” she huffs.

Kelly holds a hand to help her up and Alex begrudgingly takes it. She’s usually not a bad sport and she doesn’t want to start now just because she lost. “Are you sure?” Kelly questions, stepping back as Alex dusts the wood chips off herself. “It’s a pretty big fall from the monkey bars?”

Alex glances at the bars and shrugs. “Maybe for _ you,”  _ she says, using her hand to point out how Kelly is about as tall as Alex’s shoulders. 

The brunette rolls her eyes at that, “ _ Funny,”  _ she quips and Alex can’t fight the urge to crack a smile. 

Some of their classmates make their way towards them, gushing over how the new girl was able to take down the ‘unbeatable’ Alex and how this was the first time they’ve ever seen Alex fall off the monkey bars.

“At least she didn’t get hurt like Barry did,” Alex hears Iris point out from the side. 

She doesn’t pay much attention to the comments from her classmates, though. Instead, Alex finds herself focusing on how Kelly was practically beaming from all the compliments she was getting. If her ego wasn’t bruised, Alex would find it adorable.

After a few seconds, Kelly’s big, brown eyes meet Alex’s and she smiles again. Alex decides the buzz she feels is from the adrenaline still running through her from minutes ago.

“I like my sandwiches cut into little hearts, by the way,” Kelly tells her, as she heads to line up with her class. 

_ No _ , Alex does not wake up  _ extra _ early the next day to try and cut the sandwiches into  _ perfect _ little hearts and she does  _ not  _ feel her face go warm when Kara teases her about it. And Alex  _ absolutely does not  _ feel her heat buzz when she presents the sandwiches to Kelly the next day and the girl tells her she loves them. 

_ No one can prove that, anyway. _

**_2._ **

They became fast friends after that, despite not being in the same class until fifth grade. They’re both in Mr. J’onzz’s class that year, a friend to the Danvers’ family for many years now. 

Kelly and Alex are quick to find seats next to each other during their first day and try to work together during as many projects as possible. It’s the best way to spend their last year of elementary; together. 

At least, it was until Kelly missed three days of school. She asked everyone who she knew was friends with Kelly, about it; Iris, Nia, Sophie, Barry- yet they all told Alex the same thing: “ _ I don’t know.” _

Not knowing what had happened was keeping Alex up at night! She didn’t know what to make of it and every day that she saw Kelly’s empty seat next to hers, Alex felt her stomach drop. She didn’t know what was going on, Alex just really hoped that Kelly was okay.

After Kelly’s fourth absence, Alex convinces her parents to drive her over to the Olsen’s residence. She’s worried sick over her friend’s radio silence at this point. 

When she gets there, Alex is greeted by Mrs. Olsen dressed in all black from head to toe. She looks surprised to see Alex for a moment, before giving her a weak smile. Mrs. Olsen doesn’t explain the situation and Alex doesn’t ask her to. Judging by the full house, the attire everyone was in, and the tear-stained expressions, Alex is able to piece it together- especially when she sees a framed picture of Mr. Olsen surrounded by candles and flowers. 

“I’m so sorry,” is the only thing Alex can think to say, feeling her own eyes begin to water. She offers to leave and come back another time, but Mrs. Olsen stops her, telling Alex that a friend might be exactly what Kelly needs right now. Apparently, she’s hardly left her room after the funeral. 

So, Alex climbs the stairs that led to Kelly’s bedroom and finds herself standing outside her friend’s door. Knocking softly, she calls out, “Kel? It’s Alex. Your mom said I could come up.”

Silence.

“I can leave if you want,” Alex continues, swinging her backpack forward to unzip. “I uh brought you this week’s classwork so you wouldn’t fall behind but I understand if you don’t want…” she trails off, not really knowing what to say- she doubts anything she says will make Kelly feel better, not right now.

Perhaps, Alex lingers too long in the hallway, anxiously staring at the white door. Maybe she waits a little longer, hoping to come up with something better to say? She doesn’t know for sure; all Alex knows is that one moment she’s staring at the smooth frame of Kelly’s door and the next, it’s being creaked open, revealing her puffy-faced friend.

Alex doesn’t waste any time in pulling Kelly into a tight embrace. They’re about the same height, now, maybe Alex is still an inch or two taller; it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that Kelly’s hurting right now and that Alex is here for her. She’ll always be here for her.

Kelly buries her face in Alex’s shoulder and lets herself go. Alex feels her sleeve grow damp, but she doesn’t mind much. All her worries are on Kelly as she brushes her hands soothingly across her friend’s back. 

She doesn’t say anything. Alex knows nothing she says will make the pain go away right now. She just holds her.

It’s the most pain she’s ever seen Kelly in since she’s met her. From then on, Alex decides that she never wants to see Kelly ache like this again; Alex decides that she’ll destroy anything that wishes to bring Kelly any kind of pain before it even has the chance to.

**_3._ **

They’re in seventh grade the first time Kelly ever shows signs of having a crush on someone. And everyone seems thrilled by that: Barry teases her all the time about it, only for Kelly to shut him up by teasing him about  _ his  _ crush on Iris; Sophie and Nia are always trying to guess  _ who  _ Kelly’s crushing on and the two always end up getting an eye roll from her in response; and Brainy simply observes Kelly’s interactions with their classmates in attempts to  _ ‘calculate’  _ percentages of who Kelly likes.

Yeah, everyone seems thrilled to learn that Kelly has her first crush. Meanwhile, Alex is struggling to figure out why  _ she, herself,  _ isn’t as thrilled as her friends. 

It’s weird. Alex  _ should  _ be thrilled for Kelly too, right? Considering the way Kelly lights up at the thought of her so-called crush, Alex should be  _ extremely  _ happy for her friend, she  _ should  _ be joining in with Barry’s teasing and she  _ should  _ be offering suggestions when Sophie and Nia ask for her opinion, yet she doesn’t.

Instead of being overwhelmed with happiness, she gets these stupid knots in her stomach every time someone brings it up! It’s frustrating as hell!  _ Why can’t she be happy for Kelly?! _

“Maybe you like her?” Barry offers one day. They’re at the library,  _ supposedly  _ working on their history presentation due the following week. After like ten minutes of working together, though, he noticed something off with her, asked her what was wrong, and for the last half hour she vented about her dilemma. 

Alex nearly chokes on her water. “ _ What _ ?!” she says as if he’s just said the most bizarre thing ever, because technically  _ he just did. Kelly is her friend, she can’t feel that way about a friend! _

He shrugs. “I mean, based on what you just told me, that’s exactly how it feels for me when Iris talks about how  _ ‘cute’  _ Eddie Thawne from eighth grade is,” he frowns as he scribbles something on his paper.

“But that’s different!” Alex insists, feeling her face grow hot for some reason. “ _ You’ve  _ been in love with Iris since you two were babies! I-I-  _ Kelly _ and I are just friends!”

Barry’s cheeks taint a light shade of pink. “ _ Not  _ since we were babies!” he scoffs, outraged. Alex snorts as he continues. “Besides, Iris and I are just friends too, doesn’t mean I can’t like her, right? Same with you.”

“It’s  _ not  _ the same,” Alex huffs, looking down at her uncompleted assignment.  _ They should really start working on this,  _ she thinks. Still, her head can’t stop spinning and it doesn’t help now that Barry got the idea of her liking Kelly in her head! 

He hums. “I don’t know,” he trails off in a sing-song tone. “I was talking to Lena from Robotics about it and she told me that when you like someone who likes someone else, it’s pretty common for one’s body to react ‘weirdly’.”

Alex scowls at that information. “Lena Luthor? Isn’t she like ten? What does she know?!” she’s deflecting, probably more than she’s willing to acknowledge.  _ She does not like Kelly! _

..

_ Right? _

Barry shrugs. “She’s one of the smartest kids I know,” he says. “And you said you felt  _ weird  _ when Kelly talks about liking someone so..”

“Okay, no! We’re not talking about this anymore!” Alex feels the knots again. She ignores it.  _ She doesn’t like Kelly, not in that way. She doesn’t.  _ She points a very threatening index finger at him. “You tell anyone about this conversation and I’ll shove wood chips up your nose again!”

He doesn’t say a word to anyone about it. That’s one issue Alex doesn’t have to worry about. That  _ weird _ feeling in the pit of her stomach whenever the subject of Kelly’s crush is brought up, well  _ that  _ issue is far from solved.

It doesn’t get any better, especially not the night of their Winter Ball. They’re waiting for the limousine that Sophie’s  _ rich  _ date offered to give everyone a ride with, in Alex’s room and Kelly looks- honestly, Alex doesn’t think there’s a right word to describe how beautiful her friend looks. She wears a blue, one-shoulder dress- one that reminds Alex of Cinderella. 

When Kelly asks how she looks, Alex fails miserably to form words. It takes her a second too long to regain her composure. 

“I think tonight’s the night,” Kelly tells her, a hopeful look in her eyes.

Alex’s brows furrow as Kelly elaborates. “Tonight’s the night I’m gonna tell the person I like how I feel about them.”

“Oh,” Alex strangled out and once more, the knots in her stomach were back, except for some reason, they’re stronger than ever tonight.

Immediately, Kelly’s hopeful expression is replaced with panic. “What?! You don’t think it’s a good idea?! Oh my god, you’re right! What was I thinking! There’s no way-”

“Woah, woah! Kel, that’s- that’s not what I meant,” Alex goes to place her hands on Kelly’s shoulders to calm her down. “I was just uh- surprised,”  _ at how much the idea of you doing that hurts,  _ is what Alex doesn’t say. “I mean, you’ve been so secretive about your crush, is all.”

Kelly looks at the floor, a small smile playing on her lips and oh, how it hurts to know that someone else is the cause of that smile, Alex realizes. “I think I might actually really like her,” she says, quietly.

The knots tighten in Alex’s stomach.

“Oh,” Alex says again, her voice small. “I’m-”  _ disappointed.  _ “-happy to hear that, Kel,” she removes her hands from the brunette’s shoulders and tries her best to hold a smile. “She sounds special.”

Kelly nods slowly. “She is.”

The knots twist and turn.

Before Alex can respond, a honk from outside is heard and next thing she knows, Kara’s yelling for her and Kelly to come downstairs because  _ “mom wants pictures!” _

If either Kara, Eliza, or Jeremiah notice that Alex’s smile seemed forced during the pictures, they don’t mention it and Alex is grateful for that.

Alex is also grateful that Barry doesn’t mention it, either considering he’s mirroring the same expression as her, watching as Eddie and Iris talk the entire ride to the dance. 

Sara Lance from the Volleyball team asks Alex to dance not long after arriving and Alex accepts because, at this point, she’s looking for anything to distract her from her internal conflict over the idea of Kelly dating someone.

She tries to have fun, she actually almost does. Sara is great company and it’s fun watching Brainy and Nia try to dance together because Brainy  _ cannot  _ dance to save his life! Kate and Sophie are also good company, but Alex can tell they’re just trying to lift her spirits. According to Barry, at this point, almost everyone suspects that Alex might have feelings for Kelly,  _ which is ridiculous! _

Except, it isn’t. 

When Alex sees Kelly slow dancing with her head on Mr. Pierce’s oldest daughter, Anissa Pierce’s shoulder, she realizes that everyone’s speculations are far from ridiculous. 

The entire gym goes silent for Alex. Her attention is solely on the small smile on Kelly’s face as she dances. She knows she should, but she can’t bring herself to look away. 

When Alex catches Kelly’s eye from across the gym, she gives her a smile. Alex hopes it doesn’t look as pained as she feels on the inside- because she doesn’t want to take this moment from Kelly, especially not when she looks so happy.

So,  _ yes, _ maybe Alex does spend the remainder of the dance sitting next to a moping Barry Allen who can’t keep his eyes off Eddie Thawne and Iris. She can’t even bring herself to tease him about it, because  _ crap- she’s in the same situation as him. _

The knots in her stomach become suffocating.

**_4._ **

They’re in tenth grade when Alex gets asked out on her first date- Lucy Lane from Midvale High’s News Paper. Alex says yes, because Lucy is funny, pretty, and overall nice to be around. The entire time, though, she finds herself comparing Lucy to Kelly and she hates herself for it. Lucy Lane is a nice girl, she deserves better than that.

Needless to say, things don’t get too far with her.

She also goes on a date with Grace Choi once, but that doesn’t work out either, which is probably for the better because two months later, Alex learns she’s started dating Anissa Pierce, which isn’t surprising honestly.

Things didn’t really kick off for Kelly and Anissa after the Winter Ball in seventh grade. Apparently, they decided to stay friends or something? Alex’s not sure, she knows that Kelly was surprisingly okay with it, though. Alex didn’t pry too much, not wanting to hurt Kelly by talking about it. Still, Alex couldn’t help her curiosity- Kelly seemed to take Anissa’s rejection extremely well for someone who appeared head over heels for her that entire year. It sometimes made Alex wonder if Anissa ever was Kelly’s ‘secret crush’ at all. Alex never found the courage to ask..

“Isn’t it weird?” Alex asks one night. She and Kelly were stargazing on the balcony while Kara had a sleepover with some of the girls from her grade. It was much nicer out here, better than being around a bunch of squealing middle schoolers, that’s for sure. 

“What is?” Kelly asks from beside her. The two of them laid side-by-side on some blankets, their arms occasionally brushing. Alex tried to ignore the way her heart leaped every time that happened, though, because Kelly seemed completely oblivious to it.

“You know, Anissa and Grace being together- didn’t  _ we both  _ go on like one date with them or something?” Alex chuckles. 

Kelly’s silence becomes alarming and Alex begins to wonder if she overstepped.  _ Maybe she wasn’t over Anissa yet and Alex’s comment was just rubbing it in her face?  _ An apology was at the tip of her tongue when Kelly says,

“I never went on a date with Anissa?”

Alex blinks. Because  _ what? _

“But… the dance in seventh grade? You danced with her all night?” Alex’s brows furrow and she feels herself turning on her side to face Kelly.

Kelly keeps her gaze on the stars as she shrugs. “Doesn’t make it a date. At least, I never considered it one.”

_ Oh, well, that doesn’t really clear things up at all.  _ Alex lets another moment of silence go by before speaking again. “If you don’t mind me asking, why don’t you consider it a date? I mean, you two seemed pretty cozy that night.”

_ Also, the thought of Alex sulking over nothing was reddening.  _

She hears Kelly snort. “What is this? A trip down memory lane or?”

Alex bites her lip, wondering if she crossed a line by asking- 

“Anissa didn’t ask me to dance because she liked me,” Kelly proceeds despite her previous comment, her eyes still trained on the sky. “She asked because we’re friends and she wanted to cheer me up that night.”

“Cheer you up? Why?” Alex didn’t know Kelly had needed  _ any  _ cheering up that night. Had she known, she wouldn’t have avoided her the entire night.

Kelly doesn’t turn to face her, obviously avoiding doing so for some reason. “Let’s just say it was the night I had my heartbroken,” her voice comes out a bit strained. 

“What-?!” Alex asks immediately, feeling outraged at the thought of anyone breaking Kelly’s heart!

She hears Kelly swallow hard and Alex can’t help it. She reaches over, her fingertips lingering ever so lightly over Kelly’s jaw as she gently tilts Kelly’s head to face her. Alex is stunned to see Kelly’s eyes watering slightly. 

“Hey, Kel, what’s wrong?” she asks, her voice quiet and scowl deep. 

Kelly gives her a sad smile. “It’s stupid,” she says as a tear slips out.

Alex lets her thumb trace over Kelly’s cheek, wiping away the warm tear. Her heart nearly gives out at the way Kelly closes her eyes and leans into her touch.

_ Oh, how easy would it be for Alex to just lean in and- _

_ No. _

_ Kelly is her friend. She can’t. _

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it isn’t,” Alex tells her.

And Kelly moves her own hand above Alex’s and lets it rest there. “It’s just-” she pauses, as if to think her next words carefully. “Have you ever wanted to be with someone so badly, it hurts?”

_ Yes,  _ Alex wants to say.  _ You. _

Instead, she lets Kelly continue. “Well, you know how that night I was supposed to confess to the girl I liked, right?”

Alex nods. “Yes, Anissa?”

Kelly exhales, slowly shaking her head. “It was never Anissa.”

_ Oh. _

“You said  _ supposed,” _ Alex points out. “Does that mean you never did?”

Kelly averts her eyes. “I was too late,” she says quietly. “By the time I had worked up the courage, she was already dancing with someone else.”

Alex wants to ask who it was.

She  _ wants  _ to know who it was that had Kelly’s heart. Even if it would hurt, she wanted to know who it was so she could up to this girl and talk some sense into her! Because she sure as hell doesn’t realize how lucky she was to have someone like Kelly wanting her, still, after all these years!

Alex doesn’t ask.

Asking would give herself away and the last thing she wants is to ruin her friendship with Kelly. So, she just scoots closer instead, wrapping an arm around Kelly’s stomach and holding her. Kelly exhales, much heavier this time, and reaches for Alex’s hand on her stomach, holding onto it in a way that sends Alex’s heart soaring.

_ Man, does this girl not know what she’s missing out on. _

**_5._ **

Senior Year’s Homecoming Dance is where  _ everything  _ happens. Because it’s their last  _ Homecoming  _ ever, they all swore to enjoy every second of it. They’re graduating in a few months,  _ now  _ is the time to savor every moment.

So far, everyone seemed to be living up to that promise. Six years into a relationship and Kate and Sophie are still going strong, there’s a chance Midvale High might let them  _ both  _ be crowned Homecoming Queens if enough students vote for them. Brainy and Nia finally stopped dancing around each other and started dating over the summer. Unfortunately, Brainy’s still as bad a dancer as he was back in seventh grade. 

Not to mention that this is the first school dance that Alex and Kara have both attended together, with Kara being a freshman this year. Alex’s pretty sure she saw her somewhere hanging out with Sam and Lena. 

Barry also is apparently planning to ask Iris out tonight, considering she ended things with Eddie now that he’s off in college. Well, that’s  _ if  _ he somehow manages not to spend the entire night hiding off in some corner.

Kelly looks breathtaking tonight- she always does, don’t get Alex wrong, but tonight in her long, sea-blue ball gown, she’s literally glowing. Hell, Alex swears that not even the bright Midvale stars could ever compare to the way Kelly shines, especially tonight. 

It’s hard to keep conversation with her, Alex feels her face go warm every time she meets Kelly’s gaze. So, like the coward she apparently is, Alex also runs off to hide in some corner. She decides it’s a better option than making a complete fool of herself in front of Kelly. Alex can’t help the way her heart jumps anytime she’s around the shorter girl and she especially can’t help the tight clutch in her stomach whenever Kelly laughs. 

Being so close, yet so far-  _ it’s all too much _ .

As it turns out, Alex might be an even bigger coward than Barry Allen, because about an hour into the dance, he lets Nia bully him into asking Iris to dance. It apparently goes well for him because the next time Alex looks up from behind the punch bar, the two of them are swaying back and forth on the dance floor, both wearing big, goofy grins on their faces.

_ Finally,  _ Alex snorts, before going back to serving punch to a bunch of loud sophomores, ignoring the voice in her head that tells her  _ that could be you if you took a chance _ . 

She pushes the thought away, because- there’s just no way she has a chance. 

And apparently, she’s right, because two hours into the dance, Alex has returned to their table and saw that Kelly’s nowhere in sight; she’s on the dance floor, with the new girl from abroad, Nyssa Raatko. 

It seems like the heartbreak is apparent on her face, because Iris is quick to say, “They’re just dancing as friends. Besides, I think Nyssa has a thing going on with Sara or something.”

Alex shrugs, forcing herself to look away from the dancing pair. “I didn’t say anything,” she says, taking a seat across from Barry and Iris. It seems like they must be on  _ really  _ good terms now, considering their hands are resting, intertwined above the elegantly decorated table. 

“You didn’t have to, your face says it all,” Barry points out, giving her a knowing look. 

The redhead throws him a slight glare. “What, you think you’re suddenly an expert on love just because you finally worked up the guts to ask Iris out?”

Barry chokes on his punch while Iris pats his back, smiling from ear-to-ear as she turns to catch Alex’s eye. “Love, huh?”

_ Damn it. _

Alex feels her eyes go wide as she realizes what she’s just admitted. “Shut up,” she mutters, averting her eyes, desperate to look anywhere else  _ but  _ at the knowing looks both Iris and, a now composed, Barry are giving her. 

Unfortunately for her, that doesn’t work out in Alex’s favor either, because  _ of course  _ her eyes end up on Kelly, because how can they  _ not  _ when she’s literally glowing.  _ God, Alex hates this. She hates feeling this empty.  _

“You know, you mean a lot to her too,” Iris’ voice grabs Alex’s attention. 

Alex turns to face her, expecting to see that teasing glint Iris and every single one of their friends give her anytime her feelings for Kelly become obvious. Except, she doesn’t. Instead, Alex meets sincerity in Iris’ gaze. Alex glances at Barry and sees the same seriousness in his expression too and honestly, she doesn’t know what to make of it.

_ She can’t let herself be hopeful.  _

“We’re friends. Doesn’t mean anything,” Alex sighs.

“How do you know it doesn’t if you don’t ask?” Iris questions with a shrug.

Barry nods. “Worked out for me, didn’t it?” a small smile plays on his lips as he turns to face Iris.

And if Alex wasn’t too caught up in her own problems, she’d gag at how sappy the two were being. 

Her eyes shift towards the dancefloor again, just as the song ends, a slow one coming on next. Kelly must feel her gaze, because not a second later, she looks up and meets Alex’s eyes over Nyssa’s shoulder. Slowly, a smile forms on her face and there’s something about the glint in Kelly’s eyes that has Alex rising on her feet and heading towards them before her mind can even process what the hell she’s doing.

“Mind if I cut in?” Alex somehow finds the ability to form words upon arriving next to them.

Nyssa steps back. “Hm well, I suppose I should return to my beloved, now,” there’s a playfulness in her tone as she speaks. “My best wishes to you, Kelly Olsen,” she says, giving Alex a small nod before walking away.

That’s how Alex finds herself swaying side to side on the dancefloor, with one hand on Kelly’s waist and the other holding her hand, heart hammering and palms sweating.  _ God, they’re so soft.  _ She hopes Kelly isn’t bothered by the moisture in her hands.

If she is, Kelly doesn’t say. She just looks up at Alex, eyes bright and beaming.

“You know, in all the years we’ve known each other, this is the first time you’ve asked me to dance,” Kelly speaks, voice soft compared to the melody of the ballad that’s currently playing.

__ Alex feels her throat go dry. “Uh, yeah,” she says. “Well, I mean, I’m not really the best dancer partner. I, uh, didn’t think you’d wanna have to put up with me.”

_ But Kelly’s hand is really soft and warm and holding it is enough to bring back the somersaults in her stomach. _

“You’re not doing so bad,” Kelly shrugs, wearing a shy smile. “Even if you were, I wouldn’t mind. I’ve always wanted to dance with you.”

“You-You have?” Alex feels her eyes go round and she  _ really  _ hopes she’s able to keep herself composed.

Kelly nods. “Yeah. I always thought it’d be nice,” the corners of her mouth stretch further. “Looks like I was right.”

_ She is. _

_ It’s really nice. _

_ Being this close, holding her hand, holding her- it’s all nice. _

_ Everything about dancing with Kelly is extremely nice.  _

“Well um,” Alex clears her throat, hoping she doesn’t get her words all tangled up as she usually does around Kelly. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask sooner. I would’ve, had I known you wanted to.”

Despite being on a floor full of other dancing pairs, it suddenly felt like it was just her and Kelly, swaying together. Nothing else mattered right now.

Kelly hums. “What about you, Alex?” she asks, her gaze filled with warmth. “What do  _ you _ want?”

_ This. _

_ With you. _

She doesn’t say that, afraid Kelly might not want the same-

_ -except,  _ there’s something now, in the way Kelly is looking at her. There’s something  _ there.  _ Alex can’t tell what it is, but she can feel it.

She thinks of Barry- how he took his chance and things worked out well for him. And suddenly, Alex is wondering if  _ maybe, just maybe-  _ things will turn out the same for her if she takes her chance.

And then, Kelly’s eyes flicker down, so quickly had Alex blinked she would’ve missed it, before they’re meeting Alex’s eyes again. 

_ They’re warm, inviting- _

_ -it makes it seem like maybe Kelly wants this too? _

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Alex wonders out loud instead of answering.

Kelly’s gaze doesn’t deflect. She simply shrugs. “I always look at you like this.”

It’s only then that Alex realizes she's right. From the moment she met Kelly, there has always been this  _ glint  _ in her eyes; a  _ glint _ Alex has always been intrigued by- a  _ glint _ that Kelly’s looking at her with right now.

_ Take a chance,  _ the voice in her head repeats.

Kelly doesn’t say anything. Neither of them do and there’s no need to. Alex can hear it in the silence- she can feel it around them. 

_ Take a chance. _

Alex’s heart is in her throat at this point. If she’s misreading this and goes for it, it might ruin everything between them. 

Yet, the twinkle in Kelly’s brown eyes- _ it’s everything. It’s calling for her. _

So, she takes a chance.

Alex’s hand rises to the back of Kelly’s neck, her fingertips tingling at the contact, and before she can talk herself out of it, Alex leans forward and feels herself come undone when Kelly meets her halfway.

_ The brush of their lips- it’s everything: _

_ It feels like home. _

When they pull away, Alex feels the corners of her mouth curling upwards, she can’t help it. Her heart may or may not be practically launching itself free from her chest and it doesn’t help to see Kelly mirroring her expression. 

_ This is it. This is the feeling she’s been waiting for. _

She’s happy, too happy, that Alex can’t bring herself to turn away to glare when she hears Barry yell  _ “About damn time!”  _ from the side.

“Yeah,” Kelly whispers, her face still so close. “About time.”

“Damn right,” Alex agrees, feeling herself lean in once more.

.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed and please stay safe!!


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